The multiple scales of biodiversity

The claim that measures of global biodiversity dynamics are meaningless is based upon several methodological problems, including underrepresentation of tropical regions in “global” Phanerozoic data sets, inaccuracies in taxonomic data, non-equivalence of higher taxa among groups of organisms, and un...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Paleobiology 2003-01, Vol.29 (1), p.11-13
Main Author: Badgley, Catherine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biodiversity
Biodiversity conservation
biogeography
depositional environment
Ecosystems
fossil record
Fossils
global
Habitat conservation
Marine ecology
Marine ecosystems
mass extinctions
Matters of the Record
Matters of the Records
Paleontology
Phanerozoic
Population ecology
preservation
Species
species diversity
Taxa
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The claim that measures of global biodiversity dynamics are meaningless is based upon several methodological problems, including underrepresentation of tropical regions in “global” Phanerozoic data sets, inaccuracies in taxonomic data, non-equivalence of higher taxa among groups of organisms, and uneven sampling intensity across groups, environments, and time intervals. Some of these problems are inherent in the fossil record, whereas others lie in documentation and interpretation of the subject. But the subject of global biodiversity is perfectly legitimate, even if problems persist in evaluating its full history. Moreover, recognition of the methodological problems has resulted in notable improvements in the Phanerozoic diversity database (e.g., Adrain and Westrop 2000; Alroy et al. 2001).
ISSN:0094-8373
1938-5331
DOI:10.1666/0094-8373(2003)029<0011:TMSOB>2.0.CO;2